In our small town, the great pumpkin growing challenge is on again. So, I am thinking there is going to a lot of pumpkin around the eat. However, the giant pumpkins are often not so good to eat. They tend to be stringy, watery, and flavourless.
However, chickens love them and, in our experience, go crazy for them, which is great as the flesh of pumpkins is full of vitamins A, B, and C. It’s also packed with zinc and potassium. All of these are key nutrients that your chooks need, and may even be deficient in.
When it’s your first time feeding the chickens pumpkins, they might be hesitant. But, once they begin pecking at the pumpkin, there’s no stopping them! When chickens taste the pumpkin, they won’t be able to get enough. Chickens usually devour the whole pumpkin from the fibrous guts, seeds, flesh, and a few of its skin.
Pumpkins are rich in Vitamin A, a vitamin that is essential for the plumage and overall health of your chickens. The deficiency of this vitamin can make them vulnerable to health issues like poor feathering, pale wattles and combs, and nasal discharge. They contain Vitamin C in abundance, which is indispensable in maintaining their immune responses and protecting them from all kinds of diseases and infections. Pumpkins also contain potassium, a key mineral in helping your chickens deal with extreme heat. Potassium will lend a deeper orange shade to the yolk of their eggs.
Pumpkins are one of those fruits {A pumpkin, from a botanist’s perspective, is a fruit because it’s a product of the seed-bearing structure of flowering plants} that are filled with all goodness. However, they can only benefit when fed in moderation.
Chickens adore pumpkin seeds. They’ll gobble them up fresh out of the pumpkin.
You can crush the seeds using a food processor if you think these are too big for chickens to eat. Yet, you can also serve the pumpkin seeds as they are. Zinc is found in the shell membrane of the pumpkin seed, so don’t shell the seeds before giving them to your chickens. Lack of zinc can bring stunted growth and deformity to your poultry and seeds also good source of Potassium.
Pumpkin seeds contain Vitamin E which is essential in the chickens’ immune system as it protects chickens from some diseases but does not cure them. Such diseases are bronchitis, coccidiosis, and e.coli. Vitamin E deficiency can cause a wry neck in chickens. ( chick has difficulty standing and her neck seems to be twisted around so that she’s looking backwards or towards the sky)
Pumpkin as a dewormer: The seeds of pumpkins are believed to contain a deworming compound called cucurbitacin, which has been used to expel tapeworms and roundworms in domestic livestock species for years. However, there is no evidence that pumpkin or pumpkin seeds act as a general dewormer in chickens.
Left-over pumpkins will attract rodents, so make sure you take pumpkins out of the coop or run when you lock the chooks up for the night. Rodents usually are on guard for an easy meal, and pumpkins are one of them. More so, left-over pumpkins become wet and mouldy, and as such will be harmful to your chickens.
Pumpkins are absolutely safe for goats to eat.
Pumpkins have a high level of fibre, plus as we have said, Vitamin A, B, and E. It is no doubt that Vitamin A helps strengthen goats’ immune system as well as prevent and cure dry eyes in goats.
Although most of a pumpkins content is water, it will still provide enough protein source for goat development. Our goats love pumpkin. Give your goat a pumpkin, she will finish it whole and even want more.
But just like with chickens, rotten pumpkin is harmful for a goat to eat. If the pumpkin is rotten or mouldy, you should discard it. But the good news is, goats are picky eaters. They know what food is good for their stomach.
The seeds contain a substance called cucurbitacin which is known as a natural dewormer that can paralyse worms especially tapeworms. Therefore, unlike chickens, if you want to deworm your goats, you can add pumpkin seeds to their daily feeds. Pumpkin leaves and vines are also enjoyed by goats. After harvesting the pumpkins, do not throw the plants in the compost, those leaves and stalks are rich in fibre, making it ideal especially for goats especially when food sources are limited.
So, after the pumpkin judging, take home your pumpkin and feed your chooks and goats, or pass them onto someone’s who owns either goat and chooks, they and their animals will greatly appreciate it.
PS If you have many pumpkins either for your self or the goats and chooks you may need to store them before needing throughout the coming months.
So, when vines start to die down, you harvest a pumpkin, remember to always leave a length of the stalk attached – like a handle – but don’t carry it by the stalk as it could rip the top of the pumpkin, so remove pumpkin from the vine, leave them in the sun for about a week to cure. Once the pumpkins are cured, clean the outside with a dry towel. Don’t put water on the pumpkin as it can leach into the skin and cause rot. Remove any dirt or debris on the outside of the pumpkin. Use a dry cloth and apply a thin layer of oil to the outside of the pumpkin. The oil (vegetable/canola etc) creates a barrier that will help keep moisture and pathogens out of the pumpkin. Once they are oiled, store them on a shelf in a cool (around 15° C) room in the dark. Do not stack pumpkins on top of each other when you store them.